


gay apparel

by hoeunki



Series: plum blossom and the orchid [13]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Christmas Caroling, Christmas Fluff, Hopeless Romantic Huang Renjun, M/M, Pining, Romance, Surprises, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, serenades
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28313373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoeunki/pseuds/hoeunki
Summary: "How about you, Renjun?" Mark turns to look at him. "Can I put your name down too?""I-""Lucas is coming by the way," Donghyuck snickers, laughing loudly as Renjun aims a kick at him from across the couch. He barely deflects it with his elbow and Mark groans when Renjun's foot ends up on his ribs."Fuck off," Renjun rolls his eyes. "I was already going to say yes." As if Lucas’ absence would've hindered him from going. Newsflash for Donghyuck: he's not that whipped. Well, maybe. But who is he to turn down a wholesome carolling session with Mark's church buddies?
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Series: plum blossom and the orchid [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1204183
Comments: 18
Kudos: 116





	gay apparel

**Author's Note:**

> one more fic before 2020 ends! I haven’t been very good with writing luren this year (sorry about that) so this is dedicated to all of luren nation. I think I put in enough fluff in this fic to rot some teeth so i hope you guys like it. merry christmas and happy holidays <3
> 
> special shoutout to deni for inspiring this :)
> 
> unbeta’d as always

“Are you guys free next Friday? My church group is organising a carolling event to help raise funds for some charity.”

Mark Lee is the biggest sweetheart ever. Renjun loves the guy to death, really, but he has terrible timing, dropping the question out of nowhere as his Donkey Kong beats the shit out of Renjun’s Pichu. Luckily Dejun swoops in, avenging Renjun’s sad death with a swift Final Smash from Captain Falcon, effectively securing their team win. Chenle, who unfortunately didn’t know how to play with Wii Fit Trainer and had died very quickly from a fall, announces that this game is rigged and refuses to play another round. 

“My turn!” Donghyuck immediately grabs the controller and slides into Mark’s lap. “I’m gonna crush Renjun’s ass.”

“I’m free,” Jeno calls from the kitchen, the only one actually listening to Mark. He peeks out in his apron and oven mitts. “I haven’t gone carolling in ages.”

"How about you, Renjun?" Mark turns to look at him. "Can I put your name down too?"

"I-"

"Lucas is coming by the way," Donghyuck snickers, laughing loudly as Renjun aims a kick at him from across the couch. He barely deflects it with his elbow and Mark groans when Renjun's foot ends up on his ribs.

"Fuck off," Renjun rolls his eyes. "I was already going to say yes." As if Lucas’ absence would've hindered him from going. Newsflash for Donghyuck: he's not that whipped. Well, maybe. But who is he to turn down a wholesome carolling session with Mark's church buddies?

"I don't get it," says Dejun, reaching for the bowl of chips on the coffee table. "Renjun liking Lucas is like, an open secret right?"

Chenle, Mark, and Donghyuck all nod.

"Then why aren't they together yet?" 

Renjun feels like his cheeks are aflame, his heart doing a flip at the word _together_. Nevermind that he’s being gossiped about; Renjun pictures Lucas, handsome and charming in a long coat, leaning down to pick a snowflake out of his hair and he just melts, flipping over on the sofa to bury his face into the weathered armrest, vermillion burning hot on his cheeks.

"Now you've done it," Donghyuck groans. "Keep it together, Huang!"

For all the teasing they do, Renjun's just grateful that his friends don't push him to do anything when Lucas is around. Hell, Lucas probably knows about his embarrassing crush too (how can't he when Renjun is constantly reduced to a blushing mess around him) and is probably too nice for a formal rejection. 

Or so last month's Renjun would have thought. 

Recently, Lucas has been a little more jittery around him. At first Renjun had mistaken his jumpiness and panic for mild disgust, but the more he observed, the more he realised how Lucas' touches would linger just a fraction of a second longer, that there was a hint of shyness in his smiles directed towards Renjun. Maybe the cold weather is making him delirious. Whatever it is, he just hopes it means something positive for whatever is budding between them. 

Jeno comes out of the kitchen then, his fresh tray of gingerbread cookies smelling absolutely delectable. “Not everyone is bold enough to request a million cat pics before asking for their owner’s availability for a date, Dejun.” 

“Hey. It was a good strategy.” Dejun smiles as Jeno leans down to feed him the best-looking cookie. “Now I have three cat children and a boyfriend who bakes.” 

“Okay so it’s 6pm next Friday,” Mark clarifies, ignoring Chenle’s fake gagging noises as he texts the rest of their friend group. “Christmas hats are provided, so don’t worry about bringing your own."

"I guess you can say we're gonna be donning our gay apparel, huh."

"...That was _awful_ , Jeno."

❅❅❅

When Renjun walks out of his apartment building and sees Lucas standing at the bus stop, bundled up in multiple layers and the fluffiest jacket he’s ever seen, he almost (keyword: almost) runs up to him for a hug. Lucas gives the best hugs. A solid ten out of ten score on Renjun’s ‘warmest embraces’ list, which is totally peer reviewed and not biased at all. 

“I don’t recall you living in the neighborhood,” Renjun jokes as soon as he’s within earshot. Lucas’ head snaps up, immediately turning to Renjun’s voice. His toothy smile is the subject of every sappy poem out there. 

“I don’t,” Lucas hands him a Starbucks bag. “I just wanted to buy you a drink to compensate for the lunch we missed yesterday. The last minute Christmas shoppers were kind of in a frenzy so I was backed up with wrapping. Sorry about that.”

Oh. Renjun peers in the bag, heart soaring to see a warm lemon tea with his name neatly written on the side of the cup. Lucas remembered his Starbucks order from ages ago. What the hell. 

"That's totally understandable. Also, thank you. But we're still on for lunch some other time, right?" Renjun hopes he isn't sounding too desperate. 

Lucas doesn't miss a beat. "Of course."

Renjun cradles the drink tenderly as they board the bus, careful not to spill any of it. Sweet things aren't exactly the best to consume before an evening of carolling, but Renjun's totally ready to chug it all once they reach their stop. He can't let Lucas' thoughtful gesture go underappreciated. 

They get lost in conversation, catching up on life updates and missed-out gossip. Lucas is normally very chatty and enthusiastic in big social gatherings but Renjun likes the toned-down version of him that appears when it's just them, the guy who listens well and nods along and makes Renjun feel like he's _really_ being listened to (he probably exaggerates it in his head but whatever). Renjun forgets to pay attention to their surroundings and they nearly miss their stop, if not for Lucas glancing out the window and spotting their friends. 

Renjun and Lucas scramble off the bus together in a fit of giggles, gathering raised eyebrows from Jaemin and Donghyuck, both of whom are already wearing Christmas hats with little light up decorations on them. Jisung and Sungchan stand beside them, their matching reindeer headbands somehow a perfect fit. 

"Well well, looks like snowflakes aren't the only thing in the air around here," Jaemin grins. "I think I see a pair of lovebirds flying."

Renjun ignores him and starts to sip on his drink, knowing that any retaliation against the two of them would only end in a headache on his end. He briefly glances at Lucas who has a tinge of pink on his ears--probably from the cold, supplies the cynical side of his mind. Mark pops out of nowhere, humming a tune under his breath and carrying more Santa hats and two tins. He’s the picture of holiday cheer in his handmade sweater. 

"Sup, guys! Glad you're on time. I just sent everyone a PDF of all the lyrics so you guys can refer to it when we split up into groups. Also, no complaints about the group splitting because I just dumped our names in a random generator." The last sentence is directed at Jaemin, who’s already pouting at being separated from Yangyang. 

“Hey,” Lucas nudges Renjun, grinning. “We’re on the same team.” He angles his phone screen towards him and sure enough, their names are right next to each other on the list along with Jeno, Yangyang, Chenle, and Shotaro. 

Renjun’s cheeks warm. “Huh. I guess we are.”

Mark hands them their Santa hats and they put them on, Lucas turning and carefully tucking Renjun’s hair behind his ear while Renjun adjusts the pompom on Lucas’ hat. His heart hammers against his ribcage at their proximity and Renjun wonders if Lucas can hear it. 

“Nice,” Lucas murmurs as he leans back, bringing his fingers together into a little frame and smiling as he admires Renjun from multiple angles. 

When everyone arrives and Mark dismisses the two teams, Renjun makes a bold move to grab Lucas’ hand, pulling him along, elated when Lucas’ clasps his fingers tightly and doesn’t dare let it go. 

They follow Jeno’s lead down their designated neighborhood, knocking on doors and singing Christmas carols to the best of their ability. Most of the songs are popular but others are vague church hymns that Renjun doesn’t quite know the tune to, but thankfully he and Chenle can read notes well and cover up for the rest of the group. Lucas sings along enthusiastically, causing a stir of giggles when he gets the tune wrong, but he laughs his mistakes off with an ease that Renjun can only admire. For one household, Yangyang coerces Renjun to sing a solo part while they back him up and he agrees, cheeks red as the two young children stare with reverence at his performance and rush to give them candy canes afterwards. He’s so occupied with high-fiving the kids that he doesn’t notice the fond gaze in Lucas’ eyes. 

“Your voice is angelic,” Lucas says as they head back to the meeting spot. Chenle’s holding their can of donations and shaking it to hear the coins jingling, excited to beat Donghyuck in some bet they had over who could earn more carolling donations. 

Renjun smiles bashfully and touches his sideburns, a habit he’s developed when he gets shy. “Thanks, Xuxi. You have a lovely voice too.” Lovely isn’t nearly enough to describe the way Lucas sings. His deep baritone is so warm, so gentle, so dreamy. Listening to him sing is like sinking your teeth into a freshly-made smore and needless to say, Renjun has one hell of a sweet tooth. 

“Naw,” Lucas scoffs, waving his hand. “I’m okay at best. You, though. I could listen to you sing forever. I mean it.” 

The worst part about this conversation is that Renjun knows Lucas means every word. He knows that Lucas thinks he’s a great singer. He hasn’t been oblivious to all of the shy glances directed his way all evening, nor the way Lucas made an effort to stand near him for almost every song. He’s clearly interested, and Renjun thought it was going to be one of those nights where something big was going to happen, that they were going to have one of those romantic Christmas film moments where the stars align on a snowy evening and Lucas offers to walk him home after carolling and they share a tender kiss under the moonlight.

But he hasn’t said anything. He hasn’t done anything. It’s like he’s leading him on, not fully reciprocating but doing just enough to hook Renjun on to a hopeful _maybe_. It kind of sucks. 

Scratch that, Renjun thinks later that evening, as he stands next to Shotaro and Hendery at a bus stop, watching Lucas walk away on an overhead bridge without sparing a glance back. It really sucks. Big Time. 

“You okay?” Shotato asks. 

Hendery yawns and slings an arm around Renjun’s shoulders. “He’s just concerned about his boy.”

“He’s not my boy,” Renjun groans.

“Yet!” Hendery exclaims, poking his ribs. “Life is all about patience, my dear Junnie.”

“Ohh,” Shotaro nods in understanding. “Lucas-hyung. I agree, Renjun. There’s no need to worry.” 

Their unwavering confidence in _them_ is supposed to be comforting, but Renjun just feels even more hopeless. He must be so easy to read if all of their friends seem to know exactly what’s on his mind, so why is Lucas beating around the bush? Wouldn’t it be easier for the both of them if they just cleared everything up?

“Maybe I should just talk to him tomorrow.” 

Shotaro and Hendery exchange a glance, but Renjun’s too busy moping to bother about their cryptic behaviour. His bus arrives at that moment, and he bids them a farewell and Merry Christmas before boarding. 

Shotaro chuckles the moment Renjun’s out of sight. “He has absolutely no clue, does he?”

“Nope,” Hendery grins, popping the ‘p’. And that’s what’s going to make tonight even more special.”

❅❅❅

Renjun’s lying awake on his bed, dangling the star-pendant necklace Lucas had bought for him as a birthday gift above his face when something hits his window. At first he thinks it’s a branch but then the sound comes again and he remembers that there isn’t a tree outside his bedroom in the first place so what the fuck is that?

When he opens his curtains and peers out the window, he pauses. Then he rubs his eyes to make sure he’s not dreaming because Lucas Wong and all of their friends are standing outside his window, Mark with his guitar and a few of them holding sleigh bells. Renjun unlocks his window and leans out, shivering at the cold air. Jisung happily waves his sleigh bells in the air.

"Xuxi? What are you guys doing?"

Lucas clears his throat and Renjun watches amusedly as Hendery attempts to shush everyone. 

"Ahem. I hope this isn't that big of a surprise but Renjun, I really really like you.” 

Cheers and applause erupt from all around, and Lucas laughs as he calms them down. Hearing the words come directly from his mouth makes Renjun’s heart stutter, but he gestures for Lucas to continue. 

“I know you’ve been waiting for me to do something, and I'm sorry it took awhile but I needed a lot of practice because I wanted this to be a memorable performance in the best way possible. So, um, without further ado, tonight’s last carol is Mistletoe by Justin Bieber, and I dedicate this to you.”

Renjun gapes, speechless, as Mark hands his guitar to Lucas and he starts strumming, singing the most ridiculously corny Christmas song to him while their friends pull out LED candles and sway to melody. Donghyuck and Dejun chime in with the harmonies and Renjun has to stifle a laugh when a chorus of "shawty with you” echoes down the road. Lucas doesn’t break his gaze for a second, singing earnestly with all of his heart, and Renjun wants to melt into a puddle of goo. This is, without a doubt, the cutest thing he’s ever seen. 

He ends the performance with one final strum, letting it linger in the air, and Renjun claps like he’s never clapped before. Lucas smiles shyly at the positive reception, running a hand over his forehead and through his hair. 

“So,” Renjun calls, “Is this the part where we become boyfriends?”

Lucas flushes red, his cheeks painted a beautiful rosy hue, and the soft, mushy part of Renjun _dies_.

"Yes!” Jaemin answers, excited, clinging to Yangyang’s arm and jumping up and down. “Now come down here and give your man a kiss!" 

"And hurry up because it's fucking freezing!" Dejun yells.

Renjun wastes no time, grabbing his cardigan and running downstairs. He's glad his parents aren't home because they'd kill him for making such a racket at this time of the night. His heart is racing as he bursts through the front door, he doesn't even care that he's wearing his house slippers and socks, not when Lucas is giving Mark his guitar back and waiting for him with open arms. 

Lucas laughs as Renjun throws his arms around his neck, spinning him around in a hug. He's warm, so very warm and cosy. He feels like home.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss," Donghyuck begins to chant, with everyone quickly joining in. Sungchan steps forward, dangling a tiny piece of mistletoe above their heads. 

Snow begins to flutter down from the sky and Renjun looks up, mouth falling open in a little 'o' as the snowflakes dance in the light breeze around them. He shivers again and Lucas pulls him closer, wrapping his arm more securely around his waist. 

"Ooh~" their friends tease, but Lucas doesn't hear them, eyes fixated on Renjun with a genuine tenderness that feels so intimate. Lucas' mouth curls up slightly, his eyes dart down to Renjun's lips for a moment, and the world slows to a stop as Lucas cradles his cheek in one gloved hand and leans down to kiss him.

Renjun giggles against Lucas' lips amidst all the wolf-whistling and clapping, gasping softly when he tries to pull away and Lucas reigns him back in with a deeper kiss. He closes his eyes, fingers finding purchase in Lucas' soft, dark hair, blushing crimson when he feels their tongues meet. 

After an eternity, Lucas breaks away, eyes hazy and full of love. He brushes the corner of Renjun's mouth with his thumb. "Hey, cutie."

"H-"

“That was wholesome and all, but if you hold another concert at 11pm I’m reporting you all to the fucking police.” 

Doyoung, Renjun’s neighbor, is leaning out of his window with a face mask on and a fluffy bunny hairband. He’s usually very kind and buys Renjun bread from the bakery across his workplace, but Renjun knows that he values his peace and quiet at night. Donghyuck doesn’t care, sticking his tongue out, laughing loudly as Doyoung unleashes a string of curses at them. Lucas bows and says a quick apology, assuring the angry rabbit that this was just a one-time event. 

“So you’re not going to be serenading me every weekend?” Renjun jokingly pouts as Doyoung disappears back into his room. Lucas chuckles and pulls him closer, lips naturally meeting forehead, a gesture so effortless it makes Renjun’s stomach somersault. 

“Maybe not in public, Junnie. But if you want, I’ll give you a solo show in private.” 

“Two minutes in and they’re already horrible,” Chenle groans. “Congrats guys, I’m going home.”

The rest of their friends wish them a Merry Christmas and some final congratulations before dispersing as well, leaving Lucas and Renjun alone in the quiet street. Renjun takes Lucas' hand in his, swinging their arms as they walk back to Renjun's front door. 

"It took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to realise that you weren't joking and that you actually _like_ like me, y'know." Lucas adjusts his mittened hold on Renjun’s bare fingers, making sure to cover them tightly. "I'm just glad the guys were nice enough to practice this with me. Mark even taught me the chords."

Renjun kicks at the thin layer of snow on the ground. "At least you did something about it. I was trying to be content with my romantic fantasies."

"Aw, you daydreamed about me?"

"To be totally shameless, yes." 

“Well," Lucas grins, letting Renjun walk inside and closing the door after, "To be even more shameless, I really want to kiss you again."

This is playing out like another one of Renjun's daydreams, complete with the cheesy dialogue and everything. Renjun's grateful that all the lights are off, save for the twinkling Christmas tree lights in the corner of the living room, because his face has never felt this hot before. He's certain he looks like a tomato.

"Then kiss me," Renjun whispers, almost inaudible. "You can kiss me as much as you want."

Lucas stumbles as he takes his shoes off, glancing at Renjun with surprise. "You sure?"

"Yes, Xuxi. You're my _boyfriend_ now, you're allowed to." He can see the realisation that dawns on Lucas' face as he comprehends being entitled to as many Renjun kisses as he wants, his expression akin to a child opening their gifts on Christmas Day. 

"Wow. I. Um. Okay." 

Renjun steps forward and gently removes his mittens so that they can finally intertwine their fingers. He looks up at Lucas and gives him a peck, grinning at how quickly Lucas blushes.

"C'mon, big boy." Renjun begins his way up the stairs, Lucas in tow. "I've been waiting to cuddle you for so long."

(Renjun has the best sleep of his life that night, wrapped in a warm embrace and curled up against a firm chest. His dream is pervaded with the calming scent of musk and a hint of citrus.)

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/takadactyl)


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